Police Blotter
Martinez woman escapes assault
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Police were looking for a man Monday whom they say attempted to assault a Martinez woman.
The 22-year-old woman told police that she was walking along Clark Pointe near Santa Anna Trail about 5:30 p.m. Nov. 24 when she saw a man near a small, dark-green sport utility vehicle looking for a computer part on the shoulder of the road, said Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris. The man asked her to help look for the part, which she did briefly before walking away.
The woman said the man ran after her and again asked her to help look for the part, which she did, Morris said. The man then picked her up and attempted to carry her into a wooded area near Blue Ridge Drive. The woman screamed and the man dropped her and fled toward his vehicle, Morris said.
The woman described him as a tall, heavyset white man wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt, brown jacket and black hat. The man possibly was driving a Toyota RAV4.
Anyone with information about him should call the sheriff's office at (706) 541-2800.
The following accounts were taken from reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Additional reports are available at www.columbia countyso.org:
Man charged with stealing from store
A Martinez man was arrested Saturday, charged with shoplifting from the Martinez Wal-Mart.
Andrew Luther Neal, 20, of 3700 block of Murray Drive, was charged with misdemeanor shoplifting and was being held in the Columbia County Detention Center Tuesday on a probation violation after posting a $1,100 bond, according to jail records.
The loss-prevention officer at the store at 260 Bobby Jones Expressway told police that about 3:45 p.m. he saw Neal in the hardware department removing three DVDs from the packages. The officer said he saw Neal conceal the DVDs, worth $59.88, and some glue in his pants and leave the store.
Neal was stopped and all the merchandise was recovered.
Harlem man says car was set on fire
A Harlem man called police Sunday claiming someone set his car on fire.
He said that just after midnight Sunday morning he was in his kitchen when he heard a popping sound behind his house. When he went outside with his gun, the man said he found the interior of this 1994 Dodge Intrepid on fire.
The man said he saw a figure in the dark run into nearby woods. He fired three shots toward the figure, then called police, he said.
Police were unable to locate the suspect using tracking dogs. The car is valued at $5,000.
Woman arrested for stealing food
A Martinez woman was recently arrested after she was caught stealing food from a Martinez convenience store.
Brandi Renee Hutchinson, 22, 300 block of Avery Landing, was charged with misdemanor shoplifting on Nov. 26 and was released from the Columbia County Detention Center the same day after posting an $1,600 bond, according to jail records.
The cashier of the Circle K at 190 Baston Road told police that about 12:15 a.m. Nov. 26 she saw Hutchinson steal 16 items, including potato chips, doughnuts, cookies and candy.
When she approached Hutchinson, the manager said, Hutchinson's jacket was stuffed with stolen food.
Hutchinson told police that she stole the items, totaling $20.85, because she was hungry.
Fire report
Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue Activity Report for the week of Nov. 23-29: Structure fires, three; wood/brush/grass fires, five; controlled/unauthorized burns, four; dumpster fire, one; activated fire alarms, 10; medical incidents, 10; vehicle accidents, six; gas line rupture, one; electrical incident, one; investigate various incidents, eight; and mutual aid/public safety assistance, one.